When I finished Call of the Sea, I couldn’t help but smile. It was such an incredible journey with an intriguing story and a well-thought-out ending. From start to finish, with the exception of a couple of frustrating puzzles, I truly enjoyed this game. Considering it’s is launching on Xbox Game Pass, there is absolutely no reason for Xbox Series X/S or Xbox One gamers to not give this gem a try. The sheer amount of love and care that went into crafting this world should be the new standard that all devs strive to achieve. I can’t wait to see what Out of the Blue have in store for us next, and I truly hope we’ll return to the world of Call of the Sea in a future title.

Overall, Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 is a fantastic game and should make many puzzle game aficionados happy with this crazy combination. Excellent tutorials help newcomers and old fans refresh their memory, and as a game on its own, Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 does not fail to entertain players for hours. While the concept may not be exactly new anymore, there is no denying that this second installment still provides great Puyo-popping and Tetrimino-clearing action.

Although not as strong as some of DONTNOD’s previous efforts, Twin Mirror is still a solid Interactive Drama which includes some interesting mechanics. The introduction of the Mind Palace is great but is unfortunately underutilized. However, even with pacing issues, the intriguing story and characters will keep you hooked.

I deeply believe that there are the bones of a good game buried here. And the fixes might be easy. Or they may never come. As it stands now, I had quite a lot of fun with Empire of Sin, but I couldn’t get a groove going. It’s hard to recommend before a bit of an overhaul. But stranger things have happened in gaming! And in real life. Remember when alcohol was illegal in the United States? That feels pretty crazy right now.

I will fully admit to getting stuck in a few places. On a few tries, I overextended too quickly or didn’t adapt well to the changing planet. I always mismanage my electrical grid, or my maintenance bots, and build my way into a corner. But I keep coming back. Never before has a strategy game offered me such an involved story in such a staid sandbox. I think I’ll be turning Mars green for a long time to come.

Chronos is a great action/puzzle game for players looking for light narrative and a comfortable challenge, and it’s one I can’t wait to complete.

MK 11 is a deserving cross-gen title with a fitting upgrade on Xbox Series X and PS5 made for people like me who may have snoozed on the initial release. Or even people who were there on day one but didn’t check out any of the DLC. While I’m eagerly anticipating the next installment in the Mortal Kombat franchise and Injustice sequel, MK 11 Ultimate Edition is a great void filler to close out this generation of consoles that will be playable whenever I upgrade to the Xbox Series X.

No, Dragon Quest XI S is not technically perfect. It has Switch graphics, is a little on the easy side, and isn’t going to convert any non-JRPG fans. But it is a game that shines so brightly! The story, visuals, music, and gameplay come together to create an unforgettable experience. This is one of the games I will always have a physical copy of and will revisit every few years for the rest of my life.

As a psychological horror that uses one of the most iconic horror games of the last-gen as its inspiration, it works incredibly well. I never thought walking down a hallway in a game could fill me with such dread, but every single staircase, hallway, and door ramped my anxiety all the way up. In all honesty, for the first couple of days, I could only play it for 10 minutes at a time before I had to call it quits. As someone who watches horror movies all the time, getting me to tap out before you even scare is a feat to be proud of. By that measure, Visage should be bursting with pride!

Sackboy: A Big Adventure represents a nearly forgotten genre of game, and represents it in fine fashion. Competent if not revolutionary platforming propels Sackboy through a stunning world full of fun set pieces and clever writing, while an approachable challenge level opens the experience to all skill levels. It’s about having fun, and Sackboy’s first full adventure absolutely succeeds.

Even as a fairly short game, Spirit of the North managed to accomplish what it had set out to achieve – to tell us a story without words and to slow us down. A truly unique experience where the visuals and music were its greatest strengths, it shows that a game does not have to be filled with excitement for it to be gratifying. It wasn’t a perfect adventure, but it served as an important reminder to always be curious about your surroundings, to take your time, and to stop and smell the flowers.

Despite the love and humor that went into it, the annoying dialogue mechanics make the repetition inherent to the genre stand out. Still, I want to see more of Clawville: there’s still time for this dirty city to turn over a new leaf.

Observer is a decent game. The highly detailed environments and disturbing dream sections are hobbled only by the gameplay’s limited, repetitive nature during the real world sections. It features a solid voice work performance from Rutger Hauer too. As an early title for the PS5, there is much to be impressed with. Observer runs smooth and loads quickly, and it looks great even though the artistic direction subdues the impact. However, the old dictum remains – good graphics alone do not make for a great game.

At first glance, it may seem like Immortals is a mish-mash of several games that came before but it’s from the ashes of these that Fenyx Rises. Oozing with charm, you’ll fall in love with the characterization and delivery of the narrative and want to explore every nook and cranny of the rich and diverse Grecian world.

The Sims 4: Snowy Escape gives us a ton of fun new content and a beautiful new location. The new activities, the CAS and Buy/Build modes, festivals and clothing we get to play with is certainly worth the price. And with the new added features of having the lifestyles system in place, it really brings the game together and EA needed that, especially since the debacle with the last expansion pack. So, what are you waiting for? Grab those skis and snowboards and get ready to hit those slopes!

This game is kind of a rare beast. The gameplay is more accessible than ever, while the story has reached a new plateau on Mount Convoluted. Players who missed it the first time will be thrilled, but even experienced fans will have good reasons to double dip. The features included make this an excellent Special Edition while being a decent PS5 release. I’m not so invested I want to go back and play the games I missed, though I am glad I came back to the series. If smooth gameplay is your yardstick, then this is the definitive version for you. On the other hand, there are better graphical show pieces for the PS5 out there. Even so, I can easily recommend Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition for new and old fans alike.

While Godfall’s technical components of gameplay and graphics were solid, the game overall is just fine. As mentioned, the narrative as told throughout is relatively shallow, and despite a fun combat system, it does get repetitive. Finally, the recurrence of a number of bugs hampered my personal experience, and these do not appear to be an isolated case. While I quite enjoyed Godfall at the outset, it began to wane on me over time, and what might have been a decent launch title may not seem like it years from now.

New graphics and sound design aside, it’s still Demon’s Souls. And even after a decade and many Souls games now on the shelf, Demon’s Souls core is absolutely rock solid. With all the layers subsequent games added stripped away… wow. It speaks volumes about how well-designed From Software’s first take was. Swings are strategic. Dodge rolling is a survivor’s essence. Knowing when and how to engage each enemy is just as important as your stats. New motion-captured animations only add to the beautiful dance of death on display. You’ll sweat as hard here as you did the first time and you’ll be pissed when you die but ecstatic about your triumphs.

If you’re a fan of the Sniper Elite franchise, Sniper Elite 4 on Nintendo Switch is definitely worth checking out. It’s a new campaign in the series with necessary improvements from the last installment, while fans from other platforms can enjoy their favorite Sniper Elite Italian campaign from the comfort of their bed or on their commute to work. Sniper Elite 4 brings snipers into new locations featuring ruined castles, bayside watchtowers, vast orchards, underground tunnels, occupied cities, and far more.

If you’re an FPS fan itching for something to play on your Xbox Series X/S, then this could satisfy you for an afternoon. Otherwise, I would just wait until Bright Memory: Infinite releases.

I really wanted to like this game, and it really has its charms, but as I got deeper into the story and as the cases get more and more complex, all these UI issues just ground my enjoyment down to nothing. If the game can fix these issues, and let me just organize my papers the way I please and let me skip animations, I would wholeheartedly recommend this game. As it stands right now, I think it’s great for the espionage lovers out there are able to overlook the gameplay flaws for the simulation elements of the design.

For me, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity succeeds on two separate fronts. This is a prequel with the narrative heft required for a game in the Zelda franchise. But, this is also a Musou/Warriors game that twists that formula into something unique and engaging. What emerges from this strange union is an experience unlike either set of source material. This is a final product content to carve a small slice out of a massive pie. Even if your interest is strictly in Zelda games or Warriors titles, you owe it to yourself to give this game a shot. You're certain to be quite pleasantly surprised by what Age of Calamity has to offer.

This is a great multigenerational game. It’s also the kind of party game that could be fun to play remotely with a group of friends. It’s the same appeal of playing Mario Kart on the couch. In other words, in a world where it’s tough to meet up in person and where a lot of socializing has to happen online, Witch It is the kind of simple game you could play with your non-gamer friends. The kind of person unlikely to drop money on in-game currency in your favorite shooter might feel compelled to join you for a few rounds of Witch It over the weekend. And hey, take them up on it! Enjoy being a floppy pizza for a few weeks of gameplay as you reconnect with your friends. That sounds like it’s worth 20 American dollars of laughs.

The abundance of dinosaurs and the city-building aspect of Jurassic World Evolution is excellent. It’s like creating a lawless piece of land where your guests can wander aimlessly while you continue to neglect their needs for a restroom and instead build gift shops that make 500% profit. A fun and challenging enough simulator where your creations can eat people, both new and old fans of the Jurassic Park franchise will find this game very enjoyable.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War doesn’t innovate in any big way. It merely gives Call of Duty fans more of what they have been accustomed to playing year after year. At the same time, Cold War is truly an enjoyable experience delivering over 100gigs of content that’ll get ongoing support and free content long after this review is posted. In short, better days ahead. Cold War will once again be considered the must-have shooter this holiday season. Deservedly so. Just don’t expect anything incredibly groundbreaking.

The Pathless is a great game. It’s beyond stunning, with a remarkable soundtrack and phenomenal sense of place. Refined traversal mechanics do a lot of the heavy lifting, while puzzles and boss battles could use an extra dose of variety. Though the formula gets tired by the end of the tale, The Pathless proudly stands among giants of the genre like Journey.

Overall, Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is a phenomenal experience. It has truly unique gameplay wrapped in a Triple A Kingdom Hearts presentation. The music featured is among the most memorable scores in video game history, and the amount of content will keep players getting much more than their money’s worth. If you’re at all curious about Melody of Memories, rest assured that it’s a must buy.

The art style is vivid and manages to not look realistic but still be immersive, and the simple act of being Sakuna and exploring the visuals around me is enough to want to keep playing. In some ways, the game reminds me of Animal Crossing games, where the loop slows me down and keeps me engaged in the little wonders of life around me.

Monster Camp in a nutshell is about enjoying the story, admiring the whacky, graphic-novel style artwork, and building up your stats over the course of the summer to make sure you have enough points to win over your monster and secure a date to the meteor shower. The dialogue features a great deal of vulgarity, and it’s certainly not meant for the eyes of children. It’s outrageous and hilarious, and the scenarios are just as over-the-top as you would expect. It’s all about savoring the journey, and for most fans of this genre, there is a lot to appreciate.

I really wish Nintendo took the extra step to include both Pikmin 1 and 2 in this package. The entire series should be available for everyone to enjoy. With that said, don’t sleep on Pikmin 3 Deluxe, it’s a plucking good time and just enough to tide us over as we continue the long wait for Pikmin 4.

Georifters has good things going for it but it definitely needs some tweaking, especially for veteran fans of the genre. That said, I would certainly recommend this game for families, especially those with young kids as the art style does feel like it caters to children more. Adventure mode can be a fun couch co-op experience but I wouldn’t be surprised if Battle Ground mode would be the one played more often.

The single greatest oversight in this game, aside from the controls, is the inability to interact with your bird. You can inject it with mutagens to power it up but you can’t pet it? If I had been given the opportunity to interact with my warbird, customize its gear and coloration, and build a real bond with it, I would have enjoyed this game much more than I did. As is, I found The Falconeer to be a compelling but frustrating experience.

The intriguing mysteries, colorful characters to befriend, and overall charm in everything from the voice acting to the design of the different Bugsnax makes this game a true winner. It vaguely feels like Pokémon for the new generation, and both children and adults will find a lot to love here. The controls are easy to master, the gameplay is superb, and there’s a lot to do on the reasonably-sized map. If you are what you eat, then I'm the happiest Cinnasnail this side of Snaktooth Island has ever seen.

This same freedom of choice and flexibility is what ultimately pins Assassin’s Creed Valhalla to the wall. This is an experience composed of morsels, dozens of fun things pressed into one. The core gameplay loop is just a series of smaller loops, none of which really come out on top. Every element is pretty good, but not quite great, on its own. But those bits still add up to a lot of fun had over a lot of hours.

Though it’s not as polished as the 2018 original, Spider-Man Miles Morales is a smashing success. It looks sensational and is an absolute riot to play. Miles’ story brings all the drama and feels it needs to and highlights a community outside what’d normally be on the drawing board for a game like this. Despite some bugginess, this is the game you want to show off your impressive new hardware. I can guarantee I’ll be slinging from Harlem to Hell’s Kitchen daily for the foreseeable future.

Alas, Astro’s Playroom is only a few astonishing, magical hours long. There are lots of collectibles to go after and a leaderboard driven speedrun mode, but when I finished, I was still hungry for more. And that’s kind of the only criticism I can levy against it. The way it leverages PlayStation’s history, I can’t wait to see what irresistible creation Team ASOBI comes up with next. In the here and now, Astro Bot has earned a place in my heart among the very best of PlayStation’s franchises. ‎

Despite the aged feel, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered offers cross-platform asynchronous multiplayer powered by Autolog. While this may be hit or miss for new fans, it’s admirable that Criterion Games and EA wanted to maintain the original gameplay experience that created the cult following within the Need for Speed community. This is now the best way to play Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit as it’s updated for the PS4 and Xbox One without losing anything that made the original game great.

It all ends up coming across as an ‘almost’ experience. Pacer is almost a successor to Wipeout, but poor track design, a lack of strong audio design, and lackluster weapons all add up to a ho-hum experience that leaves you wanting for the early Wipeout days. If you really need something to scratch that old itch, then give Pacer a whirl. If you’re looking for the next S-Class zero-g racer, you’ll likely want to dust off an older PlayStation.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is the perfect update for a flagging series. Its clever storytelling, bizarre substories, and engrossing gameplay makes this one of the strongest entries in the franchise. Mixing deep societal messages with references to popular culture, the game is both hilarious and thought-provoking. It is very clear to see that with Ichiban Kasuga, the series is in safe hands.

If Found…is deep and comforting, a little disorienting, and at times heartbreaking. It is by no means trying to make people feel sorry for Kasio. Instead, it is creating an experience that some of us will never go through, and walking side-by-side with a character who does makes reality more understandable. As Kasio, we meet people who accept her, but also face hostility from the ones closest to her. It helps readers relate, understand, and reflect. It may be a very short game, but it tells a warm and powerful story that is worthwhile to read.

There are a lot of things it does right — from the boo-tiful visuals to the haunting music, to the mostly-fun gameplay. It could use a bit more work in its jumping mechanic, and there are some segments that go on longer than they should. But I had a hell of a good time overall and Pumpkin Jack is much more treat than trick.

Without my suffering-tinted lenses, Ghostrunner is a fast-paced, tough-ass platformer. Every stage is a non-stop barrage of fresh new challenges. Death is around every corner if you ever stop moving. You’ll experience crushing defeat in a host of different ways, but your victories will be all the sweeter. You can choose your path to victory, with multiple routes available through some of the larger stages. On the aesthetic side of things, more or less every stage is drenched in cyberpunk minutiae. The neon, the grime, and the violence lend an electric urgency to your already death-defying exploits. My only warning is this: know what you’re in for first. First-person action platform games aren’t for everyone. Of course, I had to play one to discover this, so who knows! Maybe a new favorite subgenre is waiting in the wings.

Overall, Rebirth is a deeper game than Dark Descent, which had a more visceral impact because it was a new experience and relied much more on jump scares. Still, because the questions being asked of Tasi require more thought from the player, the decisions made linger and their consequences will haunt you long after finishing the game.

If you’ve been itching to get back in the driver’s seat, DIRT 5 is what the doctor ordered. Despite a lackluster career mode that fails in both connecting to the player and building tension, DIRT 5 succeeds where it matters most. Driving. This is the best representation of off-road vehicular shenanigans I’ve ever had the joy of playing. Mastering my skillset and conquering each course was as fun as any racing game over the last five years – I attribute much of this to each class of car being as certifiably entertaining as the last.

The Dark Anthologies: Little Hope improves on the franchise’s previous entry in all aspects and is one of the most compelling narratives that I have experienced in recent times. With an incredible ending that left a profound, lasting effect, this is a game that fans of interactive dramas need to experience. Supermassive Games have slowly honed their skills in order to be considered one of the giants in storytelling and Little Hope has left me excited in anticipation of the next entry in what is proving to be a landmark series.

Budget Cuts surprised me in more ways than I expected – and to clarify, that’s good and bad. What I thought was going to be a fun homage to the likes of Job Simulator turned out to be a game that, more than it had any right to, made me feel like I was in ‘The Matrix.’ It’s easy to feel like a badass when you glide through a room and eliminate all threats without breaking a sweat. But, it’s also easy to get caught up in aggravating tracking issues that you won’t find on top-of-the-line VR headsets. If you can play Budget Cuts on your PC, do so. But if your only option is the PSVR, you aren’t entirely left out in the cold.

Maybe the writing is good? The voice acting? The visuals? Nope. Remothered: Broken Porcelain looks awkward, the writing is weak and the voice acting… actually the some of the voice acting is alright. So, at least it has one redeeming quality, otherwise, this one is a hard pass.

It’s hard not to characterize Watch Dogs: Legion as “Ubisoft open-world game with hacking”, but that’s what it is. That’s not inherently a bad thing, but I believe that more could have been done with the new mechanics without taking away from other portions. Overall, Watch Dogs: Legion is a fun game with a shiny new mechanic that can be utilized in different ways in the future.

Hades is a hell of a good time. It’s tight and responsive, with vast depth beyond the surface levels you’ll need to technically complete it. It looks great, sounds better, and does a masterful job of keeping you moving forward in both story and mechanics. Hades is without doubt one of the best roguelite games to date, a new high point for Supergiant Games, and a dark horse contender for game of the year lists this fall.

It’s a well-crafted children’s book come to life with some puzzles that will absolutely leave you stumped and trying new things. I was happy to see a chapter select option upon the games completion as well as the reveal of hidden collectibles I can’t wait to go back and find. I would have liked if some of the environments had a little more going on in regards to the aesthetic detail, but I also acknowledge their design better reflects the nature of a map as is its intention. Carto is the kind of game you love to play on a quiet rainy day and I’m excited to play it over and over again.

ScourgeBringer is a roguelike (or roguelite, whatever) that came out a month after Hades set the gaming world on fire. A lot of roguelike games are fine. Hades set a new gold standard. And ScourgeBringer doesn’t quite manage to rise to that level. Your progress is too slow and simple. There’s a skill tree, and you spend Judge Blood on it; you make Kyhra more powerful. It works. Still though, I never felt that excited to unlock a new capability, and it took far too long before I felt like I was making any progress. Maybe I would have felt better if I was making progress across multiple fronts, but character development feels mostly linear.Still though, I never complained about character development when I was playing Sunset Riders on that emulator. I played it a zillion times, trying to beat the next boss or get a high score. That game could entertain me for hours, simply because it was nice to look at and felt great. And that feeling, where the controls help make the drama… you can’t fake that. That’s why you’re going to play ScourgeBringer and you’re going to enjoy it.

If there’s one positive about this game, it’s the puzzles. While they’re not on the caliber of, say, AI: The Somnium Files (which has a vaguely similar premise) or the Zero Escape series, some of the puzzles are interesting, if relatively easy. None of them gave me any trouble outside of finding the right item elsewhere in the level or avoiding getting killed in the meantime, but they offered a brief moment where I could pretend that they’d put that modicum of effort into the other aspects of game design. If you absolutely have to pick up this game, do yourself a favor and play Detective mode. You’ll get through it three times as fast and can move onto something worth your time.

This particular journey simply didn’t hold the appeal for me that it once might have. If you’ve got fond memories of this series, then the Definitive Edition of AoE 3 will hook you good. This new model looks and sounds great, there’s a ton of new battlefields to conquer, and new ways to do that conquering.

In the end, Cloudpunk is no Cyberpunk 2077. That should come as a shock to absolutely no one. As an Indie game, I can forgive Cloudpunk for being smaller, simpler than a AAA blockbuster, and it would be unfair to judge it by the same standard. This Switch version has also undoubtedly lost some of its polish in the port from PC. But there still must be gameplay, and what is attempted must be followed through on. Cloudpunk looks gorgeous, especially in first hour of playtime. The ability to just visit and fly over that huge, neon-soaked city of Nivalis is quite an accomplishment and for some, that will be enough to make it worth playing. It’s just a shame that there couldn’t be more to actually do among those beautiful, sparkling towers above the clouds.

Transformers: Battlegrounds is a fun, inclusive, tactics game that may act as a gateway into the genre for younger gamers. If you can look past the mobile-esque aesthetic, the core gameplay is fun even though it doesn’t reach the heights of XCOM or Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle.

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is a unique experience that is really impressive at first glance. I enjoyed putting the courses together and exploring the variety of Grand Prix’s, but after a while, the experience does lose its charm much faster than normal Mario Kart experiences.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve never played the games before or if your artistic ability is basically zero, Jackbox Party Pack 7 is sure to bring a lot of joy into your home. There is a good variety of games, from creating speeches to drawing pictures, which can be as vanilla or as inappropriate as you choose it to be. Even though it is an offline multiplayer game, you can easily stream this to your friends. This party pack is a no-brainer to have in your library and is guaranteed to keep everyone busy while putting a smile on their faces.

I had no real expectations for this game, and I still managed to be blindsided by what I discovered. Tough, tiny indie games often try to supplement their size with atmosphere, but the results are often mixed. Here, a small project from a smaller team has brewed a fabulous blend of mechanical finesse and atmospheric splendor. The game is crazy hard, and some of the puzzle elements are pretty obtuse, but I still loved it. If you’re not so impressed by the screenshots and the trailers, take my word for it: Disc Room is so much better than you’re expecting it to be.

Horace is an incredible game that is packed to the brim with content and character. Although it’s steeped in nostalgia, it can hold its head high on its own merit as a great platform adventure title. With tight controls, varied gameplay, and a fantastic script, those who didn’t get to experience Horace before should definitely check it out on the Switch.

As long as you don’t run into any major bugs, the most frustrating gameplay elements are the finicky controls, and if you don’t understand the intricacies of the plot, you might get bored waiting through the cutscenes. Despite that, Projection: First Light is worth picking up: it’s a stunning visual display with unique gameplay that usually succeeds in elevating its concept. Also, it’s fun to play. It’s pretty. I liked it.

All in all, Ring of Pain is a different enough take on the card game genre that it’s definitely going to be a good time. While not perfect, it has enough lurking in its depths to keep you thinking “Okay, well just one more run!”

Despite the dark undertones, one might assume a game with the title of I Am Dead has, I certainly felt anything but. The narrative pulls you in immediately. The heartwarming stories you’ll discover are just as great. I didn’t want it to end. Even though I didn’t rush through it, I wish I had spent more time taking in the gorgeous scenery and story. Lately, it seems as though the world is on fire, so why not take some time to pick this up and let Morris and Sparky’s delightful adventure take you for a ride?

Partisans 1941 takes some getting used to in terms of controlling a squad while moving the camera around. The artistic graphics play off the brilliant lighting of the Unreal Engine and the diverse voice acting is believable for the setting. Daedalic Entertainment and Alter Games have come together to bring a perfect blend of stealth and RTS with a twist on history full of rich lore to discover.

The NHL series hasn’t drastically changed the formula for fifteen years, so why would I expect NHL 21 to be any different? I certainly appreciate that Be a Pro has been fleshed out, but I’d trade it in a heartbeat for a game that looked and felt like an NHL broadcast. I stand by that it plays as well as it ever has. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a proper representation of the sport. And most of the changes that have been implemented haven’t translated in the way I hoped they would. The defense is still sporadic, your teammate AI is still clueless, and goalies still get beat by the same exploit goals. If EA Vancouver ever hopes to stand alongside the giants of the genre - NBA 2K and MLB The Show - they’ll need to rethink what simulation hockey really means.

Cake Bash delivers on both style and substance, the game is extremely cute and fun to play. The unique variety of mini-games keeps players engaged and allows Cake Bash to stand out from the crowd. The only downside is that the single-player experience may become a bit boring once you’ve mastered the gameplay. However, Cake Dash is a great party game to play locally or online, and is a refreshing take on these styles of games. If you are looking for a new way to connect with your friends or family, I think this would be an excellent choice. Cake Bash is as sweet as it looks.

The voice acting is quite good. Although there weren’t any standout characters, from the NPCs to the random voice recordings you find, I always felt involved with the world and its story. Additionally, there is a personal fort you can decorate and craft to your liking. There is quite a variety of options for decoration things purely cosmetic to useful things, like the Lucktree, which you could feed loot to grow larger, granting you better luck within dungeons. However, these little successes don’t fully make up for the game’s shallowness that probably will get you bored in a few hours. Torchlight 3 is not a bad game by any means, I just don’t see a point in playing it over the original or two.

While it seems strange at first, Phantom: Covert Ops has been one of my best experiences with VR to date. Despite playing the entire game from within a kayak and a formulaic narrative, the meat of the game comes from its impeccable mechanics and immersion. Phantom: Covert Ops uses realistic water physics for its locomotion in a way that lets the player avoid any feeling of nausea or discomfort. The layout of your gear is convenient and easy, and the control scheme takes minutes to master. It’s an exciting experience that puts you in the shoes of a special agent and you feel empowered while playing. For fans of stealth games who are just getting into VR this is an essential experience, and one that sets the bar for stealth in VR.

VR Broom Racing constantly gets in its own way, and the game is somehow right to do so. If you’re looking for a well-designed magical racing game, Little Witch Academia: VR Broom Racing is just what you’re looking for. I’m just not sure you’ll enjoy it.

I think The Walking Dead Onslaught might come off more positively if we hadn’t just experienced the greatness of Saints and Sinners just a few months ago. That game felt much more involved and immersive, with a great story that left an impact. By comparison, The Walking Dead Onslaught feels thin, and lacking in that atmosphere of desperation we’d expect from spending some time in the zombie apocalypse. If you’re a fan of The Walking Dead franchise and hunger for more zombie killing, the missions, gameplay and story in The Walking Dead Onslaught are not bad. But if you’re looking for something deeper to sink your teeth into, stick with Saints and Sinners.

Schell Games have forged a winner. The swordplay gameplay feels real and the physics make for a challenging and fairly physically demanding game too. Add in the power-ups and abilities that can be added to each weapon and there is a play style available to suit every player’s needs.

Being an ARPG on the shorter side, the different perspectives in Ys Origin offer excellent replayability and gives players a pleasant, rounded experience without bogging them down with too many details. Even though the repetitive grinding can be a mind-numbing task to gain experience points, at least the controls are fluid, making this an easy game to enjoy. As the prequel to an already successful franchise, Ys Origin is a highly recommended addition to the series that gamers new and old to the story should not ignore.

I’ve played Pendragon dozens of times. I’ve unlocked most of the characters (I still can’t see to get Branwen the archer to trust me) and I know there are stories I haven’t pursued to their conclusions (Excalibur is out there, and I will find it). So rather than a traditional RPG or strategy game, Pendragon plays like an impressionistic take on a classic Nintendo formula. You’ll tell your own stories and if you play them right, the dream of Camelot will live on.

FIFA 21 is a complete package that will keep football fans hooked for the entire season. Although there are only a few small improvements, the tactical possibilities that these unlock are vast. With Dual Entitlement, meaning you can transfer your progress to next-gen consoles and the fact that it's packed to the goalposts with content, FIFA 21 comfortably takes the golden boot for 2021.

If you were looking to find a perfect replica of the Netflix series complete with an original storyline you won’t find that here. Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia is plenty good fun if viewed as a standalone title but it’s hard not to compare it to the Netflix series and find it underwhelming. Now as a pre-teen or teen, Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia is worth a playthrough for sure, especially with friends. As an adult, however, it’s probably not going to hold your attention very long; maybe just skip this one.

The dialogues between named characters and quest givers are equally dull. There was not a single moment of depth in any writing and all characters just spoke their mind and acted out their cliched character tropes. I definitely would not recommend this game for its storytelling. I would say, for most of our audience, to definitely hold off on purchasing Sands of Salzaar as it is still currently under heavy development. However, there is immense potential with the system they have developed! Keep an eye on this one.

The crux of Ride 4 clearly hangs in the gameplay. Veterans of the franchise and of motorsports will be engrossed with the latest entry in the series. Edging closer and closer to its real-life counterpart, the game is truly the finest rendition of the sport. Featuring a fleshed out career mode, which has choice at the forefront, will please fans who will be eager to do multiple playthroughs. However, the game neglects newcomers to the series and could have included a deep tutorial that would have allowed them to engage and further understand the layers within the mechanics. It is clear to see that Ride 4 has been designed to retain fans rather than gain new ones which is a major speedbump on its way to the finish line.

Let’s not forget that all of this great gameplay, all these beautiful visuals and music have been packed into the diminutive platform of the Nintendo Switch. It’s an amazing achievement, and the developers deserve credit for delivering a faithful rendering of this full game in handheld mode. In fact, in some ways, you even get a better version than was originally released on the Xbox One in March, because it’s had its lagging and other bugs ironed out. Sure, the visuals are not quite as crisp (especially in docked mode), but you’d have to be really looking to notice, or really care. No, this huge little game is a must-play on the Switch, and it is in every way a worthy successor to an iconic game classic.

Unrailed! is essential to absolutely anyone who loves arcade couch co-op games, and I will undoubtedly be playing this for years to come. All that’s left now is for you to grab a friend and go. How long can you hang on?

Crash is back, baby! Fans can rejoice as Toys for Bob and Activision have come together to create platforming perfection. Thanks to loads of collectibles and Tawna, levels remain fresh not only upon your first playthrough but during subsequent attempts as well. And once you’re ready to start speedrunning, it’s remarkably rewarding to master a stage. Plus, each one is gorgeous to boot. Deliciously nostalgic all the while new and teeming with life, Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is going to be the best Bandicoot-based game you’ve ever played. I’ll bet my Wumpas on it.

Squadrons has a somewhat limited audience. I'm terrible at dogfights, but I'm motivated to get better. They're a ton of fun, but they're brutally tough. If that doesn't appeal to you, best you learn it now, rather than later. For those of you starving for a proper Star Wars flight combat game, this is exactly what you've been waiting for. Otherwise, you're in for a rough ride, albeit an exciting one, with Star Wars: Squadrons.

This is a rather cursory attempt at a remaster. The use of downgraded assets, missing content, no DLC, no multiplayer, and no ability to quick save are all big letdowns. One thing the remaster does carry on though is the legacy of the original game in being able to run in a smooth and consistent manner. Further patches may improve the game but in its current state, the only reaction possible with this release is disappointment.

Moero Crystal H is not the type of game you’d play without headphones on, but it also feels oddly liberating to play a game that welcomes nonsensical sexual themes with open arms. The fanservice is fantastic and the number of waifus you can pick are numerous. Everyone in this harem warms up to you and allows you to rub them, which truthfully makes it less uncomfortable to do. While it may not be a game for everyone, honestly if you are comfortable with a dungeon crawler mixed with lots of moe and sexual innuendos, this is 100% the game for you.

The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk is altogether an enjoyable romp that will land with you about as far as you can tolerate cringeworthy humor and a lite XCOM layer set in a Dungeons and Dragons setting. Also, do yourself a favor and mute the Elf. Permanently. The game has it as an available option; it’s like they knew how bad the humor might be. So do it and you’ll thank me later.

What’s funny is that having played it, Mafia still has its charms. I’m sure part of it is nostalgia, but this is a story that transcends its cliches. I did and do care for Tommy. His wife and family are criminally underwritten but when he says he is fighting for them, I believe him. That makes the Definitive Edition something akin to a shot-for-shot remake. It manages to capture the charm of the original, imbues it with modern technology, and freezes all of its flaws in a sepia toned amber.

Tennis World Tour 2 lacks focus and due to this, the game lingers in mediocrity. With inconsistent AI, a harsh timing mechanic paired with a stat-boosting card system, the game will turn away both hardcore and casual fans. Unfortunately, this is a double fault for the Tennis World Tour franchise.

The gameplay is fluid, the visuals are stunning (other than some motion blur) and the music and ambient noise make this Zen Studios experience quite relaxing outside of combat. It’s not quite an Epic Games Store platform seller but combined with all of the freebies they offer, RTS and tower defense fans should definitely consider jumping on board CastleStorm 2 for an experience that I’d expect from a modernized Warcraft game.

Lovers of city-building will be left unsatisfied because it plays a more minor (and less interesting) role in the game than one would hope, but I would recommend Port Royale 4 to fans who have played the series before or for those who love a mix between resource management and strategy. For anyone else who falls somewhere in between, I may recommend that you wait for a price-drop.

If you're in the market for a fun, first-person shooter, I wholeheartedly recommend Serious Sam 4. It has its flaws and might not be the shooter of the year, but it is still one-hundred percent well worth a playthrough.

Darksburg is an exciting, dark roguelite with tons of replayability. The cast of playable characters is diverse in their play styles and these are only enhanced with Team Experience power ups and the Curios. The setting is beautiful and lush – far more than I expected out of a procedurally generated experience. The AI companions are good enough to keep you alive but the game really shines in Co-Op with other players. I would love to see controller support or a dodge roll to make managing the horde a little more balanced, but all in all it’s the kind of experience meant for friends diving into dungeons and just having a great time.

By borrowing solid mechanics from the best of the genre, Iron Harvest has the makings of a pretty good RTS. What pushes it across the finish line is a well-realized setting, a wonderful aesthetic, and a solid grounding in what sort of story it wants to tell. I personally wish it could have had more fun with the world, but that’s just me. If you want crazy cool mechs and partisan soldiers with bear companions to be played totally seriously, you’ll love Iron Harvest. And if you want an RTS that’s a little bit different well, that’ll work out for you too.

Journey of the Broken Circle is unique. It successfully presents a heartfelt story that progresses to a beautiful and fitting conclusion. Not only is the game designed to entertain, but it’s also designed to inform and guide the gamer to look deeper within themselves in order to find self-fulfillment. Although the game could have ironed out a few issues and ramped up the difficulty, it is still an exhilarating experience that requires your attention.

If you’re unsure whether you can handle some uncomfortable and disturbing topics, this is definitely not the game for you. If you’re looking for a creepy and dark mystery to get lost in for a couple of hours, or you’re curious who Rachel Foster is, this is worth a playthrough.

The graphics look good for a budget title. From far away environments look especially good. But the music is definitely where Tamarin shines brightest. The score was done by Rare veteran composer David Wise and employs everything from military action music, to synthwave, to jungle beats. A lot of tracks are very memorable, and I was always happy when something extra powerful kicked in for combat sections. I really hope Tamarin’s issues are addressed with patches. It’s possible, as the game was constantly pushed back from its original release date. But right now it’s almost unplayable, because of its camera pulling. It’s not possible to recommend Tamarin for anything other than the music at present.

Witcheye is fun, and it’s cute, and it’s got some great visuals and a cool control system. I think it’s the perfect game to vibe to something else with, which is a type of experience that everyone with a short attention span like me needs. Everything it fails in is simply due to being a game designed for another platform, and so I heartily recommend buying Witcheye…preferably on mobile.

Star Renegades is a love letter to tactical RPG fans who have been craving a rogue-lite experience that keeps on giving. While not quite at the mastery of Into the Breach in terms of depth, Star Renegades has enough to be excited about.

INMOST was a pleasant surprise. The game was a short experience with a powerful narrative with effects that can last so much longer. As for the gameplay itself, the fun puzzles and collaboration with the story helped to bring the game to life. Speaking of which, the game’s audio and visual elements also worked well together in setting the tone of the game. Overall, all the elements of the game come together in the end, much like its narrative, to provide players with a strong package.

The Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection brings together three iconic Super Mario platformers, all with enhanced, crisper visuals. These games have never looked better. The added widescreen support for Super Mario Sunshine is a huge plus, but I'm disappointed the same care wasn't given to Super Mario 64… Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy are three near-perfect platforming adventures. In my opinion, they are must-play games that everyone should experience at some point, and what better time than now on the Nintendo Switch.

WRC 9 checks nearly all the boxes for a racing game and most importantly excels in the areas of rally racing and fun. For WRC 8 owners, having to pay the full game price for small improvements will probably seem steep. The differences between the two games adds up to the amount of content often found in a DLC. Especially as is often done by other racing sim games. For new players, however, WRC 9 is an easy purchase.